What are the best practices for facilitating virtual classrooms for group training?

1 Choose the right platform

When selecting a platform for your learning objectives, content, and audience, there are many options to choose from. Zoom, Webex, Adobe Connect, and Microsoft Teams are just a few of the platforms available. It is important to do research and testing to find the one that will best suit your needs. Consider factors such as ease of use for you and your learners, reliability and security, audio/video/chat/screen sharing capabilities, tools and functions for interaction and collaboration, as well as compatibility with different devices and browsers.

2 Design for engagement

The next step is to design your virtual classroom sessions with engagement in mind. To avoid long lectures and passive listening, you can break down your content into manageable chunks and use visuals, stories, examples, and analogies to make it more memorable and relevant. Incorporate polls, quizzes, games, and simulations to check understanding and reinforce learning. Utilize breakout rooms, whiteboards, and shared documents to facilitate group work and peer learning. Additionally, encourage questions, comments, and discussions through chat, voice, and video. Finally, provide feedback and recognition to acknowledge progress and motivate learners.

4 Adapt your facilitation style

Adapting your facilitation style to the virtual classroom environment is the fourth step. You must be aware of the differences and challenges of online communication, such as the lack of visual cues, potential for distraction, and risk of isolation. Additionally, you need to be flexible and responsive to the needs and feedback of your learners. To do this, use a friendly and enthusiastic tone of voice with varying pitch, pace, and volume. Additionally, use clear and concise language, avoiding jargon, slang, and idioms that may confuse or offend your learners. Utilize verbal and non-verbal signals to indicate when you are speaking, listening, or waiting for a response. Furthermore, use open-ended questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing to check understanding and encourage participation. Incorporate humor, anecdotes, and personalization to create rapport and engagement while being sensitive to cultural and individual differences. Lastly, monitor chat, voice, and video channels for cues and feedback from your learners and adjust your pace, content, and activities accordingly.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?